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Shark in Water off Waikiki

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RickI
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Re: Shark in Water off Waikiki

Postby RickI » Thu Apr 30, 2015 12:11 pm

I have been recently updating my records of shark attack/incidents involving kiters to pass along requested information to the International Shark Attack File. Still in the middle of it and am not in a position to put out a updated summary but should be able to soon.

As has been the case since the start of our sport, kiter shark attacks/incidents are FAR less common than high wind/thunderstorm related accidents and fatalities. So, use good procedures and common sense to try to avoid negative shark encounters but the far more common threat, at times a fatal one, involves excessive wind gusts/lulls, thunderstorms and the like for kiters.

In general, kiters on plane have had shark incidents far more rarely than kiters in the water. Many sharks could easily overtake and strike kiters at typical planing speed but for whatever reason, fortunately, rarely do so. They have struck boats and kayaks at times, so I wouldn't get too comfortable. There is only one incident that comes to mind in South Africa in the early 2000's potentially involving a mako shark striking a kiters board while planning. There may have been others of course that I haven't heard about.

Most kiter shark incidents and attacks have happened while the kiter has been in the water. This involves common elements with much more frequent bather and surfer attacks. To my knowledge, two kiter fatalities (Stuart, FL, New Caledonia), from shark attack happened or may have been likely to have happened when the kiter was in the water. There may have been a third attack which resulted in a fatality but I am still trying to learn more about that and confirm what may have happened. Sharks may often bite and run. As a generality with all shark attacks, if the bite is in a vulnerable area, the shark is particularly large and/or proper medical care is delayed, death may result from blood loss, trauma and related factors. Most shark attacks are non-fatal as a result involving humans.

There have been more non-fatal shark attacks and incidents involving kiters. Which shouldn't be a surprise considering the amount of time we spend in the water and the large quantity of sharks which may (or may no longer in some cases?), be present. There doesn't seem to be a shortage of sharks in my area for instance perhaps unlike some others. Despite that, kiter attacks and incidents are still rare and less common than wind-related accidents (a few dozen shark bite encounters vs. hundreds of wind injury accidents?). I am still back checking records but there have perhaps been less than two to three dozen shark encounters in which they bit something, the kiter or his board, worldwide, since 1998. The potential for a negative encounter is always there of course, things just don't work out that way for kiters most of the time fortunately. Swimmers, surfers and divers are attacked more commonly than we are.

Some ideas on how to try to avoid negative shark encounters for kiters are discussed at: viewtopic.php?t=2338191&p=688328

If you have heard of other confirmed kiter attacks/fatalities I would like to learn about them, here, or by email to flkitesurfer at hotmail.com or by PM to ricki.

FKA, Inc.

transcribed by:
Rick Iossi

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Re: Shark in Water off Waikiki

Postby L0KI » Fri May 01, 2015 4:50 pm

longwhitecloud wrote:I am not sure about the shark culling on hooks but I know one thing, it is sooo insignificant to what goes on out in the oceans, the oceans are literally raped.
The Lafayette (factory fish processing ship) for example can hold the entire yearly quota of New Zealand fish (so it is sustainable) in one outing - that is..... sick. They catch shark, dolphins - everything and chuck in back in dead where no one can see...
If there are no fish for the bigger fish (sharks) to eat, then maybe we become more interesting as a menu item.
I think it is logical that when you take away habitat or food supply, that animals will make due with what is available to them.
It happens on land when large predators lose a food supply, they adapt and find other ways to feed themselves, whether it be by scavenging our trash or eating our dogs, cats, livestock, or in some cases, people.
In the water, humans are an easy prey item, and I think we are lucky that sharks don't like what we taste like for the most part, or whatever the reason that we don't get eaten a lot more frequently.
On land, humans have carried weapons and made a lot of noise and all kinds of things that scare off most predators.
In the water, our awkward movements always make us look like an injured animal.
Sharks scare the hell out of me, but the amount of sharks (and other fish) that we kill worldwide every year is certainly not good for the oceans of the earth, and not an answer to safe play in the water.
If we want to play in their habitat, we best keep working on some super duper shark repellant ideas.
Those crazy striped wetsuits that look like a sea snake might actually do the trick, who knows. :)

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Re: Shark in Water off Waikiki

Postby longwhitecloud » Sat May 02, 2015 12:38 am

people need educating, many have no idea what is going on in our oceans, just see loads of cheap radioactive pacific tuna in their local supermarket... yum

agree, sharks are going to eat humans if they are finding it harder to get a feed in the sea

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Re: Shark in Water off Waikiki

Postby L0KI » Sat May 02, 2015 2:05 am

I don't want to get off on a big tangent about food supply (because it bothers some forum members) but holy crap, what in the world are we thinking about?
Our fishing habits, the way that we (in USA) factory farm chicken for consumption, factory farm turkey for consumption, factory farm pigs for consumption, the way we raise cattle for consumption,...and the pollution problems that come with all of that.
The crazy stuff we have done to our farm crops with the GMO nonsense.
Corn and potatoes are shite these days, we've lost 75% of the varieties, and none of them taste like they used to.
Our fruits are barely recognizable from 30 years ago, they have great looks but no taste anymore.
I was absolutely shocked how different organically grown food tasted when my wife started bringing that into her kitchen, and had not realized how tasteless the stuff I was eating had become.
We do have plenty of food here, but so much of it is bad to eat.
I am to the point of being ready to just take our nutrition pills and the hell with eating food!! :evil:

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Re: Shark in Water off Waikiki

Postby Do-it » Sat May 02, 2015 2:57 am

OnB wrote:I don't want to get off on a big tangent about food supply (because it bothers some forum members) but holy crap, what in the world are we thinking about?
Our fishing habits, the way that we (in USA) factory farm chicken for consumption, factory farm turkey for consumption, factory farm pigs for consumption, the way we raise cattle for consumption,...and the pollution problems that come with all of that.
The crazy stuff we have done to our farm crops with the GMO nonsense.
Corn and potatoes are shite these days, we've lost 75% of the varieties, and none of them taste like they used to.
Our fruits are barely recognizable from 30 years ago, they have great looks but no taste anymore.
I was absolutely shocked how different organically grown food tasted when my wife started bringing that into her kitchen, and had not realized how tasteless the stuff I was eating had become.
We do have plenty of food here, but so much of it is bad to eat.
I am to the point of being ready to just take our nutrition pills and the hell with eating food!! :evil:
There's always Organic rescued dog?????? :o

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Re: Shark in Water off Waikiki

Postby L0KI » Sat May 02, 2015 6:10 am

Do-it wrote:There's always Organic rescued dog?????? :o
People who eat man's best friend are fukking barbarians.
Shame on you, .....shame on you, ....shame on you. :angryfire:

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Re: Shark in Water off Waikiki

Postby NYKiter » Sat May 02, 2015 1:48 pm

Saw a shark at waikiki while surfing once....just cruising by.

The reefs are completely dead for miles around waikiki...the sun tan lotion runoff and tourists killed it long ago. No reason for sharks to really come in.

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Re: Shark in Water off Waikiki

Postby Toby » Sat May 02, 2015 1:53 pm

I always wonder, if hydrofoiling will be more dangerous due to the foil maybe hitting something under water?


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